Ludogorets vs. Real Madrid: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction
Karim Benzema came off the bench to score the winner as Real Madrid prevailed 2-1 over Ludogorets in a surprisingly tight encounter in Sofia on Wednesday.
The result gave Real their second win from two games in the 2014-15 Champions League, but the hosts ran the defending champions remarkably close in the 90 minutes.
Marcelinho bagged an early goal to put his side ahead, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to equalise in the first half. Benzema finished the job 15 minutes from time.
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Ludogorets started at great pace and seemed to catch the European champions cold as they dominated early proceedings.
Indeed, they took advantage by taking a shocking sixth-minute lead through Brazilian Marcelinho's header at the far post from a corner. The goal sent the home fans into raptures, per Nik Postinger, formerly of talkSPORT:
The lead did not look as though it would last long, however. Real was rightly given a penalty soon after the opener when Yordan Minev hauled down Javier Hernandez in the box.
Unbelievably, Vladislav Stoyanov excellently saved Ronaldo's effort from the spot, allowing the Bulgarian side to keep their lead.
It was not long before Los Blancos did find the net, with Ronaldo firing home after a slick move, but the goal was wrongly disallowed for offside.
Madrid finally drew level when Ronaldo netted a second penalty, firing the same way as his previous effort. This time, it was out of Stoyanov's reach.
That could have been the moment that the home side buckled, but they stayed admirably resolute, continuing to attack and drawing some important saves out of Iker Casillas.
As Goal.com's Ben Hayward points out, the La Liga giants were not at their best. Hernandez was particularly wasteful, having missed a sitter 10 minutes into the second half:
Benzema replaced Hernandez with 20 minutes to go, and the Frenchman found the winner in the 77th minute, firing home a sitter from eight yards.
Marcello delivered a fine ball from the left, but Benzema was gifted the goal courtesy of Aleksandar Aleksandrov, who inexplicably fell over in the penalty area when he could have blocked the cross.
Ludogorets continued their fine attacking play, and Real looked vulnerable until the bitter end. However, there was to be no fairy-tale ending for the Bulgarian side in front of their fans, as Los Blancos claimed all three points.
Having narrowly lost to both Liverpool and Real, Ludogorets currently sit bottom of Group B, having picked up no points. They will hope the third time is a lucky charm next time out against Basel. On the strength of Wednesday's performance, they should give the Swiss side a tough game.
While made to work for it, meanwhile, Los Blancos are sitting pretty at the top of the group on six points and will be confident of beating Liverpool at Anfield on October 22.
Grades
Cristiano Ronaldo: B+
Europe's best player could quite easily have had a hat-trick on Wednesday night. Not only did he have a penalty saved, but the keeper denied him on several occasions in Sofia.
The Portuguese international's equalising penalty added yet another goal to his outrageous record in Europe, per Opta:
Real were largely unimpressive for much of the evening's proceedings, but Ronaldo was consistently involved in their attacks, producing some classy touches and showing great desire.
Though it wasn't a vintage performance from the former Manchester United man, he was still Madrid's most influential and threatening player.
Sergio Ramos: C
The vastly experienced Ramos had a poor night at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, often being caught out of position and coming unstuck against some impressive Ludogorets forward play.
He should have dealt better with the corner that led to the home side's opener, his near-post intervention eventually knocking the ball on to goalscorer Marcelinho.
He also picked up his regular booking, a yellow card being brandished to the Spaniard for a cynical foul which prevented a promising-looking Ludogorets attack, per Sport:
Vladislav Stoyanov: A
The Ludogorets goalkeeper did not deserve to be on the losing side on Wednesday. Stoyanov was one of the main reasons why his side stayed in the game for so long.
His penalty save was excellent, and he was not far away from the second while he made a stunning stop to keep out a Gareth Bale header in the second half, per AS:
The 27-year-old was largely terrific and can in no way be blamed for the calamitous way in which Benzema bagged the winning goal.
Post-Match Reaction
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was happy with his side's response to conceding the early goal and suggested that Los Blancos deserved the win on the balance of play, per RMadridHome:
"Carlo Ancelotti: "The match was complicated due to the goal we conceded, but the team reacted well & I am satisfied." #HalaMadrid
— RMadridHome (@RMadridHome) October 1, 2014"
He also took the time to compliment the attacking intent of Ludogorets, a feature of the game which led to it being such an exciting encounter, per the Champions League:
On Ronaldo—who injured himself in the dying minutes—Ancelotti confirmed that it was nothing serious, per Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides:
Madrid fans will welcome this news considering how important the Portuguese superstar is to Real's overall play.
Ancelotti can be pleased with his evening's work as, despite some difficulties, his side sit atop their group with two wins from two, and they should be confident of beating Liverpool next time out.
